The volcano's wrath was slowly shrinking, and perhaps in the near future Ashen and it's Armada could begin the journey to their new homes. Sirius had told her where he and Deathbelle had planned to claim for the Empire, and while it was still a dangerous land to wander Zee felt it was important to check on it's rehabilitation. Tall Grass Plains was close enough to the volcano to be deemed uninhabitable. The prey hadn't quite returned and the sky was blocked out by thick clouds of ash. While it might have been spring around the rest of Boreas, the territories surrounding the volcano still appeared winter at a glance. Ash settled on the ground like a thin blanket of snow and dusted along the tops of the herbs that struggled to regrow. Sirius' "skills" in navigation had been made perfectly clear when he'd broken a leg in the previous season, and while Zee knew she shouldn't be travelling through dangerous lands alone she also was well aware that her brute of a husband might be better suited patrolling their territory rather then accompanying her. Instead, she'd asked Io for assistance. The woman had claimed to enjoy exploring, and her skill in healing might be useful if either of them encountered a wildfire or earthquake in the unpredictable land. She'd asked for the little healer to meet her at the edge of the plains, and so Zee sat and waited for her sister-in-law to arrive in her own time. "Speech"

Though she'd been traveling like a madwoman lately, Iolaire agreed to accompany Zee to inspect the Tall Grass Plains. It was important to investigate the current condition of the areas in and around the future Ashen and Armada home. It wouldn't do to have the woman traveling into such dangerous terrain on her own. She had promised Sirius that she would befriend the woman and she believed that they'd made good progress so far. They hadn't spent nearly enough time together, but she'd been in Ashen with Deathbelle while she was upset with Siriur, and so they hadn't had much opportunity. So, when the offer was presented, Io accepted. The tiny healer agreed to meet the horned woman at the edge of the plains. Already things were looking ominous. As she neared the area, the sky became darker. Ash fell from the sky and she believed that she could feel little tremors in the earth beneath her feet. Perhaps this wasn't the greatest idea after all, but there was no going back now. Ash clung to the minuscule woman's dark pelt. By the time this was over, she would be a pale shade of grey. Great. She just loved being filthy... As she drew near, the falling ash obscured visibility a bit. She could vaguely see a shape seated at the edge of the plains and the tiny dame moved towards it. Coming upon the horned woman, Iolaire shot her a smile. "Here we are." Scanning the area before them, she gave a slightly shrug. "Things look...grey." She wondered what they might come upon during their exploration and hoped that they could come out of it in one piece. On that same train of thought... "Does Sirius know what we're doing?" One silver brow arched in question. She was curious, but it didn't really matter. They were going ahead with this regardless.

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As she looked out over the still-damaged land, Zee heard the light paws of a small wolf behind her. Though the noise was not as distinctive as Sirius' heavy paws, she was coming to recognize the sound of the little healer. She turned her head to watch Io's approach, giving her a small smile in greeting. "Here we are." Zee agreed, though her voice was flat and disappointed as she looked back over the land Sirius was set on claiming. "I had hoped the territory would be recovering faster." She admitted with a sigh, getting to her feet to begin the trek into the land with Io at her side. Faint rumbles could be heard below the ground as they walked, and Zee watched where her paws would land with care. The last thing either of them needed was to fall into an open hole or be caught by an earthquake. She shot a worried glance towards Io as she realized what danger she'd requested of the healer, and how Sirius would likely murder her if he ever found out. "Sirius doesn't need to know." Zee said dismissively, though the worry lingered in her voice regardless. "Someone needs to keep an eye on the lands he's chosen, and if I mentioned it to him we both know he'd just come out here himself and break another leg." Her warlord was definitely not the most graceful of foot, though he made up for it in brute strength and cunning. As she walked, she occasionally lifted her gaze from her feet to survey the land. "I know it'll be difficult to see, but if you notice any herbs returning it'll be good to know what might grow here when the land is healed." If the land healed, she wanted to say. Though Sirius had his plans made and set in stone, and for his sake she hoped they'd come to fruition. Total Word Count: 880 "Speech"

Another low rumble shook the land beneath them and Iolaire's claws involuntarily sunk into the ash covered ground. She continued to look out over the landscape, but there wasn't much to see. It was all ash. Ash on the ground. Ash falling from the sky. Ash covering snapped and broken trees. Oh, wait. There weren't trees. Sirius had claimed a treeless land. Well... Iolaire would change that. With her cart, she would transport saplings back with her and would plant them around her own dwelling. Some plants needed natural shade and her trees would provide that. Zee said that Sirius didn't need to know and Iolaire gave a soft snort. Despite his...sometimes cavewolf like nature, he wasn't stupid. He would most likely figure it out at some point. She wouldn't tell him though. There was a fine line to walk between Sirius and Zee. Though her loyalty belonged to Sirius first, it was his wish that the pair of little women like each other. So that's what she was going for. The horned dame continued and Io gave a chuckle of amusement. "Ah, yes. He would surely break another leg. Or worse." The man had no regard for his own well being sometimes. He should have learned from his snapped leg that brute strength didn't get you through life unscathed, however. "It will be hard to gauge what will grow. The volcano soaked up all of the moisture from the ground." The dark, ash covered fae gave a light shrug. "Thankfully, I can grow damn near anything." She'd had extensive gardens in the past, cultivating plants that weren't supposed to grow in certain areas. It was all based on how much you cared for the soil and the sunlight. She had so many plans for this place. So many plans. Pointing with her nose she continued. "It looks worse than when Sirius brought me here the first time, but that's not necessarily a bad thing." Using one paw, she pushed aside the ash to look at the earth beneath. "Things seem as though they've reached the worst. Nothing to go now but get progressively better." Trying to be optimistic, Io flashed a smile. With another tug of her skull in the direction of the grey land before them, she continued. "Shall we then?"

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Zee's attention was set firmly upon the little healer as she spoke on the quality of the land and how she might be able to grow here regardless. She knew Sirius did not make his decisions lightly, though Zee was still pleased to hear of her skill and know they'd made the right choice in wolf for the job. She'd been quite easily promoted to Ambassador and it was plain to see why - Io had knowledge where Sirius had strength, and Zee knew she'd do good things for the Armada in the seasons to come. "I look forward to seeing your gardens." She responded softly, a smile touching her lips. "Before the volcano things were so beautiful, I feel like I didn't spend enough time to stop and admire the beauty before it was taken away. It will be nice to see growth once more." She seemed hopeful, and that in itself was enough to make Zee feel better about Sirius' chosen lands. Though it looked as if the world would never recover, Io's keen eye had seen a change for the better where Zee's had not. She hummed thoughtfully at her words and nodded. "Hopefully sooner rather then later. Sirius has his heart set on this place. It's difficult to keep watch over four territories and futile to do when we can't stake claim over these two at all. I can't help but feel we're wasting manpower on protecting a land we cannot put our name on." She sighed softly, lifting a paw to kick off some of the ash that had settled upon it. The ground was still wrought with tremors and the longer they'd stayed, the less comfortable Zee felt. Io motioned them to go further and Zee bit her lip. A quiet sigh, and she turned her head to look back the way they'd come longingly. After a moment she nodded, and moved up alongside the healer. "Only a bit longer, I fear the land is still too unstable. I don't want to risk you getting hurt." Not only would Sirius kill her if his sister were to return home harmed, but Zee was growing fond of her too. They'd need to come back when the risk of earthquake was lessened. Total Word Count: 1638 / 1500 "Speech"

Zee spoke of wanting to see Io's future garden and the dark woman grinned. She'd always been terribly proud of her gardens. It was a pity that she'd had to leave so many behind. First the one that she'd inherited from the crone. Then the one in the land with Yrione. Finally her favorite garden in Amsdenae... So many gardens and they'd all gone to waste.  She could only hope that this one would last for years. Iolaire had faith in Sirius and Zee. Faith that they could maintain hold over these lands. Faith that they could see the pack through the worst of times without allowing usurpers to take what was theirs. The horned woman went on to speak of how beautiful the land used to be and Io nodded in agreement. Though she hadn't seen it before the volcano, she could see the lands potential. In her minds eye, she could see what this land could be and what it had been. She could also see what it would become with the help of Ashen's imprint. There seemed to be a bit of fear in Zee's voice as she spoke of wishing well for the land. In the hope of easing some of those fears, Iolaire spoke. "Ash is actually quite good for the soil. It contains many nutrients that feed the plants through being absorbed within that soil. With ash as fine as this, it will be absorbed in no time." Leaning over, she gave her companion a little nudge. "In a way, the volcano was a good thing. This land will be richer than it was before and will most likely draw in more prey than was here previously. We just have to wait a while longer." How did Iolaire know so many things? She never stopped asking questions. Her keen intellect came from hounding others when she didn't understand. The woman knew a little bit about a lot of things, and knew a lot more about things that she was interested in. The worry in Zee as she spoke of going only a small distance within was obvious. It seemed as though she didn't want Iolaire to get hurt. That shouldn't have been the first thing on her mind at all. Taking one fox-like leap forward, Iolaire turned to look at the other woman. "You needn't worry about me. I have this uncanny ability to stay alive." The small dame gave a roll of green and gold eyes. "Just ask my father." It had been the mans intent to murder her, but she had always been one step ahead. When Yrione had given her to his pack to violate and abuse, she had escaped and saved her own skin. When Amsdenae had been overrun and sacked, she had used the secret paths to avoid detection and keep herself safe. A shrug was then given. "But if we've seen all that you wish to see, I suppose we'd better head out." Her nose wrinkled. "And find somewhere to take a bath. This ash is making me itchy."

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